It’s a sign of the modern world that one can hear about some controversy via image macros, or reactionary posts on social media, before even getting an inkling of what’s fully going on in the physical world. And I will not say that’s not impressive, that’s effective viral marketing, but it’s not a great sign for public discourse.

This is not a new trick. This is not an uncommon trick. But it works. Oh, yes, it works. And that’s why animation companies use it so much. Animated movies find a huge amount of marketing power and ways to promote through the voice actors—if they are famous for other things.

The problem with being young after 2016, and perhaps it is also a blessing to promote as such (if only to lessen grief), is I had no exposure to most of the celebrities we lost, and thus do not have as deep a connection to them as I could. Some were just names to me—no matter how special they may have been. No matter how important. I did not grow up listening to David Bowie, for instance. The only loss I felt strongly was Alan Rickman—and that’s because I am a nerd. But, for today, I understand the loss. Because I’ve seen the work of John Hurt—deceased on the 25th of January, 2017. I knew him. I knew of him because he was on Doctor Who. As the War Doctor.

More than one form of advertising exists. Some of it is specific to companies, made by them, and set to sell something. But, there exists another type of advertising…one not meant to get across the idea to spend money, but to make someone out as more and more powerful.